I Believe My Mom Has Schizophrenia or Some Other Mental Illness

Asked by pandabear02 on 2019-02-20 with 1 answer:

In the last few months, my mom has become convinced that she’s sort of the center of the universe. She often thinks radio stations are made only for her and playing music that speaks only to her. She also has become convinced that someone has hacked her YouTube account and is purposefully playing certain songs to try to tell her something. She often claims to speak to people that have passed away but when you ask her if she means that she’s spoken to a dead person, she says no only that these people are somehow in her head, but she knows they’re actually dead. She has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis for the last ten years or so and I know that researchers have discovered a link between multiple sclerosis and schizophrenia, so I figured it was certainly possible that she has it. She also has been diagnosed with depression and was taking medication to treat it for a time, but she has since quit taking that medication and all of her other medication. She also freaks out everytime there is a sudden noise and she’s convinced that that’s not normal at all and she becomes sort of scared like something is going to happen. She will sometimes make comments about wanting to start seeing her doctor again or seeing a psychiatrist as if she’s aware what she’s doing isn’t normal. I’m not sure what to do or how to help her or if I’m even on the right track. Thank you in advance.

You are right to be concerned. These are unusual behaviors and may suggest psychosis. An evaluation is required. You should encourage her to consult her physician. Perhaps accompany her to the appointment. She may be reluctant but going with her could ease her fears.

Once at the doctor’s office, report your concerns. Your observations will be tremendously helpful. As you mentioned, she might have a sense that something is wrong but may be frightened to pursue it further. Thus, it’s important to report your observations to her treating physician.

If psychosis is present, generally the symptoms worsen without treatment. The sooner her symptoms are treated, the quicker this problem can be remedied. Time is of the essence.

You should also inform her doctor that she has stopped her depression medicine. She should not have stopped it on her own as there are negative side effects that can arise from doing so. The more information they have about her condition, the easier it will be to treat it accordingly. Good luck with your efforts. Please take care.

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Kristina Randle, Ph.D., LCSW

Kristina Randle, Ph.D., LCSW is a licensed psychotherapist and Assistant Professor of Social Work and Forensics with extensive experience in the field of mental health. She works in private practice with adults, adolescents and families. Kristina has worked in a large array of settings including community mental health, college counseling and university research centers.

APA Reference Randle, K. (2019). I Believe My Mom Has Schizophrenia or Some Other Mental Illness. Psych Central.
Retrieved on September 15, 2019, from https://psychcentral.com/ask-the-therapist/2019/02/22/i-believe-my-mom-has-schizophrenia-or-some-other-mental-illness/

Last updated: 20 Feb 2019Last reviewed: By a member of our scientific advisory board on 20 Feb 2019Published on Psych Central.com. All rights reserved.